04-24-2023 CC - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Item No: 8C M0 LT __S Vf Meeting Date:04/24/2023 Type of Business: Council Business Administrator Review: City of Mounds View Staff Report To: Honorable Mayor and City Council From: Ben Zender, Chief of Police Item Title/Subject: Resolution 9745 Resolution Supporting State Legislation Addressing Law Enforcement Retention and Recruitment by Funding Peace Officer Insurance Premiums. Introduction: The Police Executive Research Forum recently noted that police departments both small and large are experiencing severe difficulties in hiring, as resignations and retirements are rising" (PERF, 2022). Chuck Wexler, the director for PERF, called the shrinking profession of law enforcement "a national crisis" (Peterson, 2019). In fact, 14 Minnesota law enforcement agencies have closed since 2017 (Kolls, 2022), and more agencies are on the brink of folding due to the inability to hire peace officers. According to the Associated Press, law enforcement is in the midst of a 25-year low for new officers entering the field (AP, 2022). Failing to achieve proper staffing levels negatively impacts budgets, officer morale, training, physical and mental health, officer and community safety, community and police relationships, and retention. According to a 2022 study of 13,085 U.S. employees (Wigert, 2022) which asked what was most important to them when deciding whether to accept a new job offered by a new employer, they responded: 1. A significant increase in income or benefits (64% said "very important') 2. Greater work -life balance and better personal wellbeing (61 %) In another 2022 study (Charaba, 2022) on what benefits attract and retain employees the most, compiled in an Employee Benefits Survey Report, 87% of the employees surveyed value health insurance benefits. In a survey of 194 police departments of all sizes throughout the US, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF, 2021) discovered the following: Hiring • For the April 2019-March 2020 period, responding agencies on average hired 8.67 officers per 100 current officers. During the same period a year later, agencies hired only 8.21 new officers per 100 current officers. • 5% decrease in the hiring rate.